Nickel and nickel coatings are highly desirable because of their appearance, low corrosivity, and resistance to particle release. Certain applications, particularly in the computer industry, call for the application of polymers such as adhesives to a nickel surfaces. For example, to remove the heat generated by computer chips, according to one technique, the chip is attached to a nickel plated heat sink using a thermally conductive adhesive. Unfortunately, the mechanical and thermal stresses to which the chip-heat sink package is subject during assembly, and subsequent usage, often cause adhesives to fail to adhere to the nickel surface. The adhesive delaminates at the interface of the adhesive and the nickel.
It would be desirable to have a method for improving the adhesion of adhesives to nickel surfaces.